Saving Britain's Pubs with Tom Kerridge

[Nail Soup]

Anyone see this? The first one was on on Thursday (BBC2 8pm) . Available on I-player I presume.

Basically it's about how pubs are struggling financially. The first episode was pre-covid, and one of the pubs in the first episode featured a pub which prided itself on live Music, but the host questioned them paying as high as £100 for a live band.

[bertbass]

Haven't watched it but thought it might be interesting. Questioned them paying as high as £100 for a live band?  I might question the pubs as to why they are charging so much for a pint.

[Count Bassy]

6 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

Anyone see this? The first one was on on Thursday (BBC2 8pm) . Available on I-player I presume.

Basically it's about how pubs are struggling financially. The first episode was pre-covid, and one of the pubs in the first episode featured a pub which prided itself on live Music, but the host questioned them paying as high as £100 for a live band.

IIRC he was commenting on the margin that the landlord paid the band (of the increased take) as opposed to the margin that he was making on his beer, rather than the absolute amount, ie the band did better out of it than the landlord did..

[Stub Mandrel]

18 minutes ago, Count Bassy said:

IIRC he was commenting on the margin that the landlord paid the band (of the increased take) as opposed to the margin that he was making on his beer, rather than the absolute amount, ie the band did better out of it than the landlord did..

Curious, does he know how capitalism works?

The landlord has to cover an awful lot of additional costs to be able to sell beer, virtually all the extra costs of live music fall on the performers.

Gross margin is meaningless for comparison.

[Maude]

As an aside, the village pub where they were knocking the wall down over looking the Tamar Valley used to be a regular haunt as a teenager. I had to pretend I was 19 on my 17th birthday in there as I'd already been drinking there for a year. 

The room they were knocking into used to be 'the back room' where they had bands every Friday and Saturday, and it would be absolutely rammed every weekend. It had a kind of crazy vibe where pretty much anything went. One of the locals would appear in the side door to the little pool room with a tea towel covered baking tray that he'd just walked right through the village with, "Tuck in" he'd say as he took the towel off of a tray full of dried mushrooms. Had a few years of crazy times centered around that pub. 

It also amused me that when asked what he wanted to drink in there, Tom Kerridge said, "Just water please, I don't drink". Then went on to explain why pubs aren't making as much money. 😅

[Burns-bass]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Curious, does he know how capitalism works?

The landlord has to cover an awful lot of additional costs to be able to sell beer, virtually all the extra costs of live music fall on the performers.

Gross margin is meaningless for comparison.

Watch the programme. It was actually really well made and Tom owns and runs 3 pubs himself, so certainly understands the business .

My dad used to work in the trade, but I must admit to having almost no knowledge of how tough it is for publicans, particularly those in tied pubs.

The concept of the show is Tom helping some amazing people make more money from their community pubs, and while I typically hate reality TV this was really good. 

The guys who run the pub in question seem like the perfect landlords, but the only ones losing out are them.

[Nail Soup]

1 hour ago, Maude said:

It also amused me that when asked what he wanted to drink in there, Tom Kerridge said, "Just water please, I don't drink". Then went on to explain why pubs aren't making as much money.

Yes, that made me smile too.  Then later on he gave one landlady a hard time for letting people nurse drinks and have water etc.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Nail Soup

[barkin]

He was there in an advisory role, not as a customer.

[Burns-bass]

8 hours ago, barkin said:

He was there in an advisory role, not as a customer.

And to be fair he appeared to have driven to most of these pubs himself and he is a self-confessed former alcoholic so I reckon he deserves a pass.

[barkin]

If it was to be an "on the house" drink, he did them a favour

[Raymondo]

I've been to The Admiral Rodney in Stroud (for tis the pub in question) and it is fabulous. 

The band payment system was ( from what I recall) a flexible one.

Many of the bands sell tickets and get to keep ALL the money ( it does get busy for these top bands).

Some get a share of the beer take and others play because they want to( the managers have been there for a very long time and the local musos hold them in great regard;they will do the odd gig at reduced rates etc as a favour I believe).

They always get free drinks and some food of some kind I believe ( one time I was there there was a Caribbean "street stall" set up out the back selling a really nice Goat curry).

I think the most ire was reserved for Punch Pub Co who own the premises and rip off the landlord on the price of the ales he is "Tied" into buying from them . The second episode features Tom visiting The headquarters of Puch to have a go at the MD. Should be interesting as the three pubs Tom runs are Punch Pub Co pubs!